E-Business
IBM, Canonical Launch Linux-Based Netbook Software
IBM has partnered South Africa’s Canonical okUbuntu to provide flexible, open computing software solution to governments, public organisations and businesses in Sub Saharan Africa.
IBM and Canonical Ubuntu will introduce a new, flexible personal computing software package for netbooks and other thin client devices to help businesses and public organisations in Africa bridge the digital divide by leapfrogging traditional PCs and proprietary software.
This is the first cloud- and premise- based Linux netbook software package offered by IBM and Canonical.
Part of IBM’s Smart Work Initiative, this new package targets the rising popularity of low cost netbooks to make IBM’s industrial-strength software affordable to new mass audiences in Africa. Businesses that could not afford traditional PCs for all employees can now use any type of device and low-cost software to equip all workers with the ability to work smarter anywhere through a variety of devices regardless of the level of communications infrastructure.
The IBM Smart Work Client is available today across Africa and is being piloted for other emerging and growth markets worldwide. The solution includes open standards-based email, word processing, spreadsheets, unified communication, social networking and other software to any laptop, netbook, or a variety of mobile devices. It runs on the Canonical Ubuntu Linux operating system, and provides the option to deliver collaboration through the Web in a cloud service model.
This software bundle can also be extended to virtualised workspaces using Verde from Virtual Bridges available locally through business partners and voice-based collaboration pilots through IBM Research. IBM estimates that it delivers up to 50 percent savings per seat versus a Microsoft-based desktop.
“Businesses, public organisations and governments in emerging markets, particularly in Sub Saharan Africa, are looking to gain the freedom and flexibility afforded by open standards,” said Oliver Fortuin, general manager, IBM Sub Saharan Africa.
The IBM Smart Work Client builds on the movement toward open standards and Web-based personal computing by giving people the power to work smarter regardless of device.
The IBM smart client package can help African governments deliver open standards using Open Document Format (ODF), which contributes toward the savings of up to 50 percent per individual seat versus a Microsoft-based desktop based on licensing, administration and maintenance. The reduction of personal computing costs may enable governments to transfer information technology expenditures to fund mission-critical initiatives such as crisis or disaster management, education and health care.
“Starting with Africa, we see that IBM’s Smart Work Client can help realise our vision of eliminating barriers to computer access for emerging markets,” said Mark Shuttleworth, founder, Canonical Ubuntu. “Our partnership with IBM brings together the strengths of collaboration to help our customers work smarter using this new approach.”
With this new package, businesses can cultivate new suppliers and partners over the Web through IBM’s LotusLive.com that will allow them to expand service to new customers beyond their local area. Through virtualisation of this collaboration software, they can exponentially increase their computing and collaboration power without additional infrastructure costs.
E-Business
Global Crypto Heists Surge to $2.1Bn in H1 2025 as Digital Assets is Weaponised

In a sobering revelation of the evolving threat landscape facing the digital asset ecosystem, blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs has disclosed that over $2.1 billion worth of cryptocurrency was stolen in the first half of 2025 alone, spanning at least 75 high-profile hacks and exploits.
This staggering figure marks a 10 per cent surge over the previous first-half record set in 2022 and nearly eclipses the total stolen in all of 2024.
But beyond the monetary scale, the report reveals a deeper concern: a growing trend of state-sponsored cyber aggression weaponising crypto assets for strategic and geopolitical purposes.
The most devastating breach to date occurred in February when Dubai-based exchange Bybit lost $1.5 billion—the largest crypto heist in history.
TRM Labs attributes the attack to North Korean state actors, noting that the incident alone accounted for nearly 70 percent of total losses during the period and doubled the average hack size to $30 million.
“The Bybit hack redefined the threat landscape,” the report stated.
“It exemplifies how digital asset theft has transcended criminal opportunism and morphed into a tool of statecraft.”
Indeed, North Korea-linked entities were responsible for an estimated $1.6 billion of the total stolen, further entrenching Pyongyang’s status as the most prolific nation-state threat actor in the crypto sphere.
Yet the menace is diversifying. On June 18, Iranian crypto exchange Nobitex was breached for over $90 million by a group reportedly linked to Israel, Gonjeshke Darande (Predatory Sparrow).
Unusually, the stolen funds were routed to unusable vanity addresses, underscoring symbolic and political motives rather than financial gain.
TRM Labs flagged this as a “disturbing shift,” with digital asset theft increasingly deployed as a weapon in asymmetric geopolitical conflict.
The report also found that more than 80 percent of losses stemmed from infrastructure breaches, including private key theft, seed phrase leaks, and front-end compromises— attacks typically ten times costlier than other vectors.
Meanwhile, DeFi exploits such as flash loan manipulations accounted for 12 percent of losses, reflecting persistent smart contract vulnerabilities despite years of scrutiny.
As digital currencies become enmeshed in global rivalries, TRM Labs warns that conventional cybersecurity approaches are now inadequate.
“Massive breaches, often tied to nation-state operations, require a new defence paradigm,” the firm asserted, urging industrywide adoption of advanced safeguards and cross-border collaboration among regulators and law enforcement.
E-Business
CAC Launches AI-powered Business Registration Portal

Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has inaugurated the pilot take-off of its new Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered registration portal.
A statement issued by the commission explained that Malam Hussaini Magaji, registrar-general of the CAC, made the announcement during the 2025 Stakeholders Forum in Port Harcourt.
According to him, “the initiative is a major milestone in Nigeria’s business facilitation drive.”
The Registrar further explained that the upgraded portal marks a complete overhaul of the Company Registration Portal (CRP), saying that it comes with advanced features designed to simplify and speed up business registration.
The new system, according to him, allows for instant name reservation approvals, likening the ease to creating an email account, and stressing that the AI-powered platform could suggest available alternatives to business names and approve them immediately.
Another innovation, he stated, is the ability to register a business using only the National Identification Number (NIN) of a director or proprietor, pointing out that there is an ambitious target of completing business registration and certificate generation within 30 minutes, subject to real-time NIN validation.
E-Business
Bitget Launches Institutional Services to Empower Fintech Innovation

Bitget has launched its institutional services in Nigeria, offering fintech companies a robust platform to build innovative solutions on top of Bitget’s suite of institutional-grade offerings.
Gracy Chen, CEO, Bitget, in a statement said, “Our goal is to empower Nigerian businesses to innovate and leverage blockchain for wealth creation opportunities, hence, the institutional services empower fintech leaders with tailored solutions, as the offerings designed to cater for the unique operational needs of institutional clients, enabling businesses to embed trading functionalities like spot and futures markets, wallet management, and more, directly into their platforms.
“The Key services include White-label Broker Services which enabled Fintech companies to deploy customized crypto exchanges using Bitget’s infrastructure while managing branding and users independently. There is also API Solutions that can make the Developers to integrate trading functionality via APIs for spot, margin, and derivatives markets, ensuring fast execution and seamless experiences for end users.”
Chen added, “The ND Broker Model provides clients with complete autonomy over user-facing platforms, offering exclusive front-end flexibility while relying on Bitget for back-end market liquidity. Clients are able to employ Protection Fund and Proof of Reserves of over $600million secured in the Bitget Protection Fund and real-time Proof of Reserves, which gives clients assurance of maximum transparency and security.”
- E-Financial2 days ago
Access ARM Pensions Advocates Ways to Boost Civil Servants’ Retirement
- E-Business2 days ago
Firm Warns as Social Media Scams Put Users’ Data at Risk
- Telecom1 day ago
AVEVA Highlights Climate Impact Gains in 2024 Sustainability Report
- Telecom2 days ago
MTN Nigeria Launches “Mega Billion Promo” to Reward Customer Loyalty and Drive Financial Inclusion
- General News1 day ago
AfCFTA Opens Opportunity for Logistics Sector
- E-Business2 days ago
Nigeria Ranks 3rd in Africa for Ransomware Threats –INTERPOL
- Telecom1 day ago
ALTON Explains SIM-related Services Disruption Across Mobile Networks
- General News2 days ago
NELFund Warns Students Against Fake Loan Portal